Architectural Record 2015-04

108
ARCHITECTURAL RECORD APRIL 2015 BUILDING TYPE STUDY RECORD HOUSES
5
FIFTH FLOOR
4
FOURTH FLOOR
3
THIRD FLOOR
1 PARKING
2 ATELIER
3 KITCHEN/DINING
4 LIVING ROOM/BATH
5 BEDROOM
level a distinctive character. As the building rises, the
ceilings become progressively lower and the rooms more
intimate. Entered through a giant door, the 12-foot-high
garage could be converted to retail use at a scale in keeping
with the street. At the other extreme, a 7-foot-high ceiling
makes the bedroom a cozy retreat.
Correlating with the height reductions, the number of
steps needed between floors decreases. Shorter stairways
not only saved precious inches, they enabled the architects
to change the disposition of space on each level. By locating
the longest run along the north wall, the design team was
able to orient the ground floor toward Yamate Street, while
placing the shortest run against the west wall left plenty
of room for a double bed on the top floor.
As the stairs climb, the relationship between inside and
out also evolves. The sound of accelerating automobiles
gradually fades, and privacy increases, as one progresses up
and away from the street. At the same time, daylight and
views improve, culminating at the terrace, where the city
view fans out in every direction.
These transitions from the ground level to the roof are
largely a function of the double rows of windows wrapping
each floor—the reason the house appears to hold more
than five stories. “I didn’t want the building to stand out,”
explains Mitsuya. On each floor, two windows are operable
for natural ventilation while the rest hold single panes of
fixed glass. The openings differ in size, becoming shorter
and wider toward the roof. Thanks to the broadening of
the windows, the views of sky and daylight coming in
steadily increase, making the small spaces seem bigger.
Stepping out incrementally at each level, the shifting
proportion of the windows relates inversely to the house’s
reinforced-concrete frame. Toward the top of the building,
its load lightens, the solid walls decreasing and the voids
increasing, with the narrowest openings being at the base
and the widest ones at the apex. In clean, diagrammatic
terms, the elevations document the building’s weight-bearing
strategy. But this is just about the only straightforward
aspect of the structural system.
2
SECOND FLOOR
credits
ARCHITECT: Taichi Mitsuya & Associates — Taichi
Mitsuya, principal; UNEMORI ARCHITECTS
ENGINEER: Low Fat Structure (structural)
CLIENT: withheld
SIZE: 964 square feet
PROJECT COST: withheld
COMPLETION DATE: April 2014
FIRST FLOOR
1
0 3 FT.
1 M.
SOURCES
WINDOWS: SUS Corporation (metal frames);
Central Glass Co. (glass); Best, Inc. (hardware)
WOOD FLOORING: Kyoei Lumber
PAINT: Nissin Sangyo Co. (heat insulation coating)
BATH FIXTURES: Toto (toilet); Hibino (tub)
LIGHTING: Panasonic (downlights)